Hilton Honors American Express Ascend Card Review

In 2017, Hilton Announced that it would no longer carry credit cards that were issued by both Citi and American Express. Instead American Express would become the exclusive card issuer for the Hilton family of cards.

The changes have been implemented and one of the newest cards being offered is the Hilton Honors American Express Ascend Card from American Express, a Credit Cards Explained advertiser. Anyone that loves to stay at Hilton Hotels should have this card high on their wish list. Keep reading to learn about all the different features that come with this new card from Hilton and American Express.

What You Get

The biggest perk that will attract frequent Hilton guests to the new Ascend card is the large welcome bonus. New cardmembers will earn 125,000 Hilton Honors points after spending $2,000 on purchases within the first three months.

When you use the Hilton Honors Ascend Card at Hilton properties, you will receive 12x Hilton Honors points for every dollar spent. Additionally, you will earn 6x points when you use the card at U.S. restaurants, grocery stores, or gas stations. Finally, all other purchases will earn 3x points.

As a Hilton Honors Ascend cardholder, you will automatically receive Hilton Honors Gold status. This will give you a 25% earning bonus on Hilton base points earned, and free breakfast at select hotels. Plus, when you redeem points for a stay of five or more nights, your fifth night will be free. Other perks of Hilton Honors Gold status include free in-room and lobby wi-fi, late checkout, and two complimentary bottles of water.

In addition to automatically earning Hilton Honors Gold status, you will also have the opportunity to earn Diamond status when you spend $40,000 or more in a calendar year with your Hilton Honors Ascend card.

This card will come with a $95 annual fee, which is not waived the first year (see rates and fees). However, you will have the chance to offset the annual fee. If you spend $15,000 or more with your card within a calendar year, you will receive a free weekend reward night.

If you do a lot of traveling by air then you will also enjoy 10 free Priority Pass Select lounge visits per year. For those that travel frequently, additional passes can also be purchased for $27 each.

The old Hilton Surpass card was missing one important perk: no foreign transaction fees. With the Hilton Honors Ascend card, these fees are waived, saving you 2.7% on each purchase you make outside the United States (see rates and fees).

You will also receive several other benefits that are fairly common with other credit cards. These include car rental loss and damage insurance, travel accident insurance, extended warranty protection, purchase protection, and more.

What You Don’t Get

Unfortunately, Hilton decided to follow the lead of Delta Airlines and removed their award chart from being publicly available. Instead, they now say, “The amount of Hilton Honors points required to redeem hotel rewards varies by hotel, room, booking date and length of stay.” So, what does this mean for you? It means you won’t know how many points you’ll need for a free night until you search a specific property on the dates you plan to travel.

It’s also important to understand that American Express has a “once per lifetime” policy with their credit cards. It’s believed that because this card is replacing the old Hilton Honors Surpass Card, you will not be approved for the new Hilton Honors Ascend card if you’ve carried the Surpass card at any time.

The Bottom Line

If you are a frequent Hilton Hotels visitor then the Hilton Honors American Express Ascend Card is nearly a no brainer. The massive 125,000-point welcome bonus can be used a lot of different ways. Choose to spread it out over many different nights with a low-level Hilton property, or use is up quickly on a luxurious hotel night. No matter what you might choose, this card can help provide a ton of value.

For rates and fees of the Hilton Honors American Express Ascend Card, click here.

Note: This content is not provided by American Express. Any opinions, analyses, reviews or recommendations expressed in this article are those of the author’s alone, and have not been reviewed, approved or otherwise endorsed by American Express.

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ABOUT THE AUTHOR

Sean Bryant is a Denver based freelance writer specializing in travel, credit cards and personal finance. With nearly 10 years of writing experience his work has appeared in many of the industries top publications. He holds a bachelor of arts degree in economics. He also runs OneSmartDollar.com. When not working Sean enjoys spending time with his wife, daughter and dog Charlie and can frequently be found on his bike or snowboard.

Editorial Note: Any opinions, analyses, reviews or recommendations expressed in this article are those of the author's alone, and have not been reviewed, approved or otherwise endorsed by any card issuer.

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Editorial Note: Any opinions, analyses, reviews or recommendations expressed in this article are those of the author's alone, and have not been reviewed, approved or otherwise endorsed by any card issuer.

Credit Cards Explained may earn affiliate commissions from our partners on this page. These commissions do not affect how we select, rate, or review products. To find out more, read our complete terms of use.